MNA � Iranian Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian said that a number of 217 water and electricity projects will be put into operation before the termination of the current year (to end March 20, 2020).

He made the remarks on Wednesday among reporters and journalists and added, �this year, the ministry will launch various water and power projects in different parts of the country.�

It is stipulated that renewable power plants with the production capacity of 5,000 megawatts should be constructed by the end of the 6th Five-Year Socioeconomic and Cultural Development Plan, he said, adding, �construction of renewable power plants has lagged behind in the country due to the foreign currency problems.�

In the end, Ardakanian emphasized the need to expand and broaden relationship with neighbor countries and added, �the country cannot be developed optimally without regional development.�